The Air We Breathe May Be Killing Us

Thick smog settled over New York City back in 1966 on Thanksgiving weekend. The factories, central heating systems, and traffic emissions all contributed to one of the deadliest air pollution episodes in American history. Ten percent of New Yorkers suffered coughing fits and difficulty breathing that weekend.

Leonard Greenburg, then a renowned researcher at Yeshiva University, found that at least 24 people died each day the smog persisted. He estimated that air pollution killed about 400 people total — but that the long-term effects could not be measured.

“Long-term accumulation can shorten your life by years,” said one population health expert.

“When I was a child living in the New York area, we had episodes in the early ’60s where hundreds of people died over a matter of a few days during an air pollution episode,” said George Thurston, professor of environmental medicine and population health at New York University.

The 1966 episode, Thurston explained, shows the acute effects of air pollution. Less obvious are the cumulative effects over time that can result in premature death. “If you’re in a city that’s more polluted, long-term accumulation can actually shorten your life by years,” he told LifeZette.

In essence — the air we’re breathing is slowly killing us.

Thurston conducted several large-scale studies to determine whether air pollution really causes premature death. He gathered decades of data on millions of people across the United States, determining whether they smoke, whether they’re married, how much they drink alcohol, and a host of other compounding factors.

“After we consider everything we can think of, does air pollution still explain premature death? The answer is yes, very consistently from study to study. We find that we’re talking about years of life lost versus people who live in cleaner places, adjusting for all these other factors,” Thurston said.

Some estimates place the number of premature deaths from air pollution as high as 3.7 million each year. In the U.S. 6,500 people die early each year. Scientists think that number could double in the next 30 years without significant changes in air pollution regulation worldwide.

Days with higher pollution decrease worker productivity, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Days with higher pollution decrease worker productivity, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. Magnetite, a particle often found in air pollution, can also infiltrate the brain and contribute to Alzheimer’s disease later in life.

Thurston identifies the Clean Air Act of 1970 — which cut back emissions from power plants and automobiles — as “the biggest success story of government in the United States.” Cost-benefit analyses of these regulations show “the health benefits exceed the cost of clean air by a factor of 30 to 1.”

Related: ‘We Knew Something Was Wrong With the Water’

Looking ahead, Thurston favors the development of technology that can harness the power of the tides. “Tides just run continually, and it’s not like the wind that comes and goes, and not like solar power, which is only during the day,” he said. And “by the way, 90 percent of people in the world live within 100 miles of the coastline.”

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The United States is in much better shape now than in the 1960s. However, many people in urban areas still struggle with poor air quality, and those who live in rural areas feel the impact of the ammonia pollution that results from agriculture. To combat some of this, people can purchase HEPA air filters for their work spaces and homes. Even driving with your windows rolled up in traffic will decrease your exposure to toxic fumes by as much as 76 percent.

Ultimately, “the solution,” Thurston said, “is to be able to go anywhere and have clean air.”